comments: Banksia pods are imported from their native Australia, although banksia species are now grown in Southern California and Hawaii for their huge, exotic flowers. The species supplying the large pods that I use is Banksia grandis, growing to a height of 25 feet. One of the detail photos shows a raw pod; they reach a length of 12" or so and resemble a large, but dense and heavy, pine cone. An interesting provenance for these unique candleholders. In this set, the dark, complex figuring of the banksia is captured between the pale yellow of the holly accents, the whole supported on a black base of ebony. The oval dark shapes on the pod bodies are holes, remnants of the sockets in which the tree seeds grew. These pieces are weighted in the base for exceptional stability toward tipover, and the candle wells are copper lined.